Athletic directors have to deal with bad attitudes at events

The talent level is the most glaring difference. Time commitment, monetary compensation, the glitz and glamour of being an athlete are among the long list of how the games change.

One thing that remains the same? Some players, coaches and fans exhibit poor sportsmanship.

It's not fair to lump everyone into the category, since many more fans are on the good side of the line, especially at the high school level. But it's bad sportsmanship that people remember.

"In general, I think it's fans," said Cañon City Athletic Director Bob Trahern about who usually is the culprit of poor sportsmanship. "There are some teams we've played where the players and coaches instigate the fans, but it also works the other way. Most of the times, it's the fans.

Dealing with sub-par sportsmanship is the unfortunate part of the job for

Trahern and Florence Athletic Director Toni Pierce.

"That's the problem with fans sometimes," Pierce said, "they get so caught up in the game that they don't realize they're reacting to the comments of a 13-year-old or the gestures of a 13-year-old. ... We need to realize who the adult is and who needs to be more mature.

"What we expect out of our kids is (the same as) what we expect out of our coaches to be teaching.

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It's the same as what we expect out of our fans at home and away when we represent ourselves."

Trahern knows how to bite his tongue as a parent when he feels wronged by an official or opposing player. He had one son graduate in 2010 after playing football, basketball and track for four years and one senior son this year who plays golf and basketball.

Sometimes, though, an athletic director has to gain control of a situation before it blows up.

In his 10th year as the AD, Trahern was once asked by a basketball player to go tell the player's mom to be quiet. He's even had to tell a fan that they weren't allowed to attend any more games but said he doesn't like to do that because it negatively affects everyone involved.

The athletic directors insist they have far more positive fans than negative ones, but both agree there is always at least one fan who provides a perfect example of what not to do.

"It frustrates me that we still have some that want to be on the negative side," Trahern said. "Our (student section) has really gotten it over the past eight years -- they've taken to being more positive -- but there is always one or two, and that's (who) people see the most."

Pierce is in her third year as the athletic director at FHS. She said she's only had to have one sit-down chat after the fact with a fan about that person's unacceptable behavior.

"In general, we do have good fans," Pierce said. "They are respectful, and they understand their role in the game."

So what is having a good competitive time and what is crossing the line?

The Colorado High School Activities Association, the state's prep sports' governing body, has a simple motto, cheer for your team. In turn, this means don't cheer against the opponent.

Trahern was on the committee a few years ago that came up with the current slogan instead of the old motto "Sportsmanship: it's how you play the game."

Both Pierce and Trahern admit to have being embarrassed of how their school is portrayed in the past when a fan, coach or player acts the wrong way.

"I've been embarrassed, I think our kids have been embarrassed when things are yelled that are totally inappropriate," Trahern said. "We address those in league meetings. ... We've been the subject of some of those conversations at times, and that's embarrassing. ... We're Cañon City, and we don't want to be involved in that."

"We expect (parents) to behave like we're asking (their) kid to behave," Pierce said. "Oftentimes, I hear things or see things that obviously they don't think anyone is paying attention." Good sportsmanship happens at all levels of sports also, but the bad is much more visible and tends to last in people's minds longer.

Three Cañon City students portrayed their school on the upside a few weeks ago. Emily Bosisio, Lindsay Coppa and Tony Garcia presented a congratulatory board to the Huskies football team during its assembly after winning the state championship.

"We've done that each time they win a state championship because of our communities being so close," Trahern said.

He's not sure who started the act of kindness.

"We've done that as long as I can remember," he said.

"I thought that was nice, and, hopefully, we would have kids, or groups, who would want to do the same," Pierce said.

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